Celebrating our team in green

Celebrations for Community Umpiring Week kicks off this week with players clubs across the state and territory acknowledging umpires in unique ways.
 
The week aims to highlight the invaluable contribution and role umpires play in Australian football, create awareness around umpiring pathways and promote respect for the men, women, girls and boys who officiate matches at all levels of footy around the country.
 
There are around 2,000 registered community umpires across NSW and Canberra and as footy continues to grow, the AFL needs more people to pull up their socks and pick up a whistle. 
 
As part of the celebrations, a host of initiatives will roll out during the week, each one designed to help drive engagement between AFL and community umpires, upskill and develop junior umpires and provide memorable match-day experiences for local umpires.

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These initiatives across NSW/ACT and the rest of Australia include:
 

• – More than 80 AFL umpires will attend local umpiring training sessions and officiate local junior footy matches.
   
• – AFL players will officiate local junior matches.
   
• – AFL umpires at last weekend’s Sydney Derby led onto the ground by community umpires.
   
• – Junior community umpires to officiate half-time Auskick grid games.
    
• – Recognition via Umpire Service Awards for more than 1,200 umpires across the country who have recorded more than 25 years and 50 years of service.

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